The Development and Status of Sexual Orientation Discrimination under International Human Rights Law

Abstract

This article assesses the development, status and recognition of a prohibition on sexual orientation discrimination as a matter of international human rights law. The State practice examined appears to reveal fundamental divisions on this issue. The article considers whether there are any treaty-based obligations that support the prohibition on sexual orientation as an existing right. Having examined the national, regional and international human rights jurisprudence on sexual orientation discrimination, the article considers the possible ways forward in policy terms, given the continued opposition from a significant body of States. More specifically, it discusses the most appropriate legal and strategic responses at national, regional and international levels to manage or bridge the divisions between States on the issue.

Language influences mass opinion toward gender and LGBT equality

“…To mitigate these biases, many governments have adopted policies that enshrine gender parity and inclusion, such as increased female access to education and employment (5), widened childcare availability (1,2), reduced gender pay disparities (6), and quotas to boost female political participation and representation (7). These efforts have also spilled into policies ameliorating social and economic discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities (8) while bolstering their political rights (9).…”

“…If this reasoning is correct, then gender-neutral pronouns will heighten the mental accessibility of nonmales relative to males. In turn, this will increase acceptance of females and LGBT groups in public life, since the latter are also positioned in contradistinction to men (4,8). † Prior work shows that antigay…”

El cambio de nombre conforme a la identidad de género en Costa Rica: una revisión a la luz del derecho internacional de los derechos humanos

“…22 En el sistema europeo, el primer instrumento del hard law en recoger la identidad de género como motivo prohibido de discriminación fue el Convenio del Consejo de Europa sobre prevención y lucha contra la violencia contra las mujeres y la violencia doméstica de 2011. 23 El artículo 4.3 de esta Convención establece "La aplicación por las Partes de las disposiciones del presente Convenio… sin discriminación alguna, basada en… la identidad de género". 24 Por su parte, el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos (en lo sucesivo, TEDH) ha tenido la oportunidad de analizar la identidad de género en diversos asuntos sometidos a su conocimiento.…”

Parental Rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual Persons: A Comparison Between the European and Inter-American Systems of Human Rights

“…While the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or European Court) has been addressing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) persons since 1981, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR or Inter-American Court) only rendered its first decision on the matter in 2012. Consequently, the ECtHR has had time to publish more than 50 cases on sexual minority, 1 while the IACtHR has issued only 3 decisions. 2 One of the repercussions of this considerable difference in numbers is that the ECtHR has had time to address a plethora of issues regarding sexual orientation, ranging from the decriminalization of same-sex intimacy to the recognition of same-sex couples and the use of violence by public officials against members of the LGBT community.…”